Flume-joint coupling.



W. D. HIMES.

FLUME JOINT COUPLING.

APPLICATION FI'LED AUG. 14. 1914.

Patented May 11, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET l- ILWEIVTOR 777.5.7Lam6J BY v 6&4; r W

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a r W l W VAA I a 1 E g! THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTE-LITHQ. WASHINGTON.D, c

W. D. HIMES.

FLUME JOINT COUPLING.

APlfLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1914.

1,138,657. Patented May11,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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IIVVENTOR fafiflg/fq 46111517 285.

BY W I m, 6

f ATTORNEYs.

THE NORPI PETERS 00., PHO'I'DUTHO. WASHINGLIJH, C

u r1) STATES PATENT ornicn.

WRIGI-I'ISMAN D. HIMES, OF DELTA, COLORADO.

FLUME-J'OINT COUPLING.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WRIGHTSMAN D. Hrrrns,residing at Delta, in the county of Delta and State of Colorado, haveinvented a new and Improved Flume-Joint Coupling, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved coupling device for joiningthe lapped ends of sheet metal sections of flume troughs and other likeconveyers and it primarily has for its object to provide a couplingdevice of the character stated of a simple and inexpensive construction,adapted for being readily applied for use and which effectively servesto produce a watertight union of the said lapped ends of the fiumesections.

Another object of my invention is to provide a coupling device of thecharacter stated having the parts thereof so designed and cooperativelyarranged whereby they may be quickly adjusted for joining the flurnesection ends or curves and also. to allow for expansion and contractionof the joint without impairing the water tight connection.

WVith the above and other objects in view,

my invention embodies the peculiar construction and novel combination ofparts all of which will be hereinafter fully explained, specificallypointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my flume joint coupling, the samebeing shown as applied for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof onthe line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 38 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section thereof on the line 4-4 onFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view that shows the parts thatconstitute my coupling device adjusted for joining the ends of the fiumesections on a curve. Fig. 6 illustrates in perspective, the severalparts of my coupling device separated. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective ofa slightly modified form of one of the flume sheet clamps. Fig. 8 is aperspective showing the invention applied to an eaves trough. Fig. 9 1sa section on the line 99 on Fig. 8. Figs. 10 and 11 are perspectiveviews of the co-acting parts of the trough clamp.

In the practical arrangement, my fiume joint coupling embodiesessentially but two parts, an outer clamping memberl, and an innerclamping member 2, and the said two members 1 and 2 are adapted for bemgcon- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11,1915.

Application filed August 1 4, 1914. Serial No. 856,784.

nected to opposing lapped ends ab of flumc sectlons.

Member 1, which is adapted for being secured upon the outside of thefiume section a, c0mpr1ses a body portion 10, provided with a number ofcountersunk rivet holes 11, the countersinks of which are in the face ofthe body 10 upon which the end of the flume section a is made fast, andto leave that face of the section a that engages the section b smooth,the rivets and the adjacent metal of the section a, are hammered to sinkinto the countersunk holes, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2, by referenceto which it will also be seen that the body portion 20 of the clampingmember, which is secured upon the inside of the section b, is likewisefastened by rivets 21 to the section I) and its face that closes againstthe sect on 0;, is likewise made smooth, by hammering the rivets. Rivetsor balls may be used, as desired. Member 1 includes an upwardlyprojectmg threaded stem 23 and the upper end of the body portion 10 istapered on the outer face to form a wedge-like penetrating end forentering the wedge shaped recesses 16 on the member 2, formed betweenthe guide members 17, pendent from the bracket 18 that forms a part ofand projects laterally from the body 20.

To provide for a positive water-tight joint between the sections o-b,when the members 1 and 2 are drawn together, which is done by screwinghome the nut 3 on the stem 23, the upper edge of the member is taperedas at 22 for engaging the tapered inner faces 17* of the guide members17 The slot in the bracket portion of the member 2 is elongated in thelongitudinal direction of the flume to allow for the usual expansion andcontrac- -fiume section ends are made on curves.

By reason of passing the threaded stem of the member 2 through anelongated slot in the bracket end of member 1, the flume may be ofcircular shape and its section ends positively joined water-tight by mycoupling ev ce- From the foregoing taken in connection with the drawing,the complete construction, the manner of its use and the advantages ofmy invention will be readily understood.

Since the opposing clamping members 1 and 2, in practice, are attachedto; their respective fiume sections as they are made up and furthersince one of the said members attaches to the outside of one fiumesection and the other member is secured, to the inside of the otherfiume section, it follows that the couplingdevice does not interferewith thecompact nesting of the trough sections and their safetransportation. Furthermore the construction of the two members 1 and 2is such that the fiume sections can be almost instantly joined withoutthe use of any special tools or implements since it is only necessary toslip the threaded stems of the members 1 through the slots in thememhers 2, the elongation of the slots facilitating such connection, andthereby simply screw up the nuts 3 to draw the two sections ab into afluid-tight connection, it being understood that should any of thejoints loosen up and leak, they can be readily closed again bytightening up the nuts 3.

While I have shown and described the members 1 and 2 as havingwedge-shaped connections, I desire it understood that the saidwedge-shaped connections are not absolutely necessary when using mycoupling on the small size fiumes or eaves troughs.

While I have shown my invention as especially adapted for connecting theends'of fiume troughs the same is also well adapted for use inconnection with eaves troughs and when so employed a slightly modifiedarrangement of my invention is used which is shown in Figs. 8, 9, 10 and11 of the drawings. In the said modified form of my invention, the samegeneral arrangement of the clamping members 1 and 2 shown in Figs. 1, 2and 3 is used. When employed for hanging eaves troughs, a cross memberor yoke is combined with the opposite clamping members to provide asimple and effective means for hanging the trough and the said yokemember consists of two sheet metal portions, one of which 25 forms thehanger member since it includes a member 25 pendent from a foot piece 25adapted for being nailed to the roof, as shown, and a horizontal orbridge piece 25 that extends over the slotted end of the bracket member2 to which it is made fast by the nut 3-that takes on the threaded endof the bolt por tion 2323 of the member 1. The other member 26 of thehanger has one edge secured to the slotted member 2, at the other sideof the trough and it has an upturned flange 26 at the inner end whichabuts and is made fast to the pendent or hanger portion 25 Instead ofmaking the clamping member 2 with an elongated slot for the passage ofthe threaded end 23 of the member 1, the said member 2 may be formed asin Fig. 7 that is with a, forked upper end and when such form ofclamping member 2 is used, a washer plate 26 is placed over thebifurcated top of the member 2 for receiving the clamping nut 3.

Under ordinary conditions the fiume sections are firmly held together bysimply using the clamping members 1 and 2, as shown in Fig. 5, but wherethe flumes are of large capacity and arranged for carrying swift runningwater the joints are braced by a yoke orbridge member 35 which is theequivalent of the bridge or hanger shown in Figs. 8 and 9, but when usedas shown in Fig. 8, it only has the function of holding section jointsfrom spreading or closing toward each other since it forms, as it were,a cross brace for the said fiume sections.

IVhat I claim-is:

1. In a flume, a set of overlapping sections, and means for securing theoverlapping sections together, said means comprising a clamp membersecured to one section and a clamp member secured to the other section,said clamp members having engaging portions and means for drawing saidclamp members together to bring said engaging portions into contact, thecontacting faces of said engaging portions having projections forapplying a sealing pressure between the contacting faces of theoverlapping flume sections.

.2. In a fiume, the combination with the overlapping clamp sections, ofa clamp for securing the same together, said clamp comprising a mainbody portion, means for securing said main body portion to one of thefiume sections, said main body portion including an aperturedprojection, a second clamp member secured to the-opposedflume sectionand having a member to project. through said slotted projection, meansfor drawing said clamp members in a direction parallel to one another,and means for simultaneously moving said clamp members toward each otherlaterally to clamp the overlapping fiume sections together.

3. In a fiume composed of overlapping sections, a clamp for securing theoverlapping sections together, said clamp comprising two members, thefirst of said members consisting of a body plate, means for securingsaid body plate to one of the fiume sections, the first of said clampmembers also including a portion projecting at right angles to said bodyplate and provided with a longitudinal slot, the other of said clampmembers consisting of a body portion, means for securing said last namedbody portion to the second of the overlapping fiume sections, saidsecond clamp member body portion having a lug to project through saidslot, a nut threaded onto said lug for drawing said lug through saidslot to thereby impart a slidable movement to said body plates, andmeans for imparting relative motion to said body plates to bring themcloser together as said nut is screwed down.

4. In a flume composed of overlapping sections, a clamp for securing theoverlapping sections together, said clamp comprising two members, thefirst of said members consisting of a body plate, means for securingsaid body plate to one of the flume sections, the first of said clampmembers also including a portion projecting at right angles to said bodyplate and provided with a longitudinal slot, the other of said clampmembers consisting of a body portion, means for securing said last namedbody portion to the second of the overlapping flume sections, saidsecond clamp member body portion having a lug to project through saidslot, a nut threaded onto said lug for drawing said lug through saidslot to thereby impart a slidable movement to said body plates, meansfor imparting relative motion to said body plates to bring them closertogether as the nut is screwed down,said last named means comprisingprojections on said first mentioned clamp member for en? gaging saidsecond mentioned clamp member, the contacting surfaces between saidprojections and said second clamp member being beveled to thereby forcesaid first and second clamp members bodily toward each other to clampthe flume sections together, substantially as shown and described.

5. In combination with the overlapping flume sections, a clamp membersecured upon the inside of one of said sections, a clamp member securedupon the outside of the other of opposing flume sections, the said clampmembers having interlocking portions, and means that co-act with thesaid interlocking portions for bringing the clamp members and theirrespective flume sections together.

6. In combination with the overlapping flume sections, a clamp membersecured upon the inside of one of said sections, a clamp member securedupon the outside of the other of opposing flume sections, the said clampmembers having interlocking portions, means that co-act with the saidinterlocking portions for bringing the clamp members and theirrespective flume sections together, the said means including a threadedstem on one member slidable through the other member and a clamping nuton the stem that engages said other clamp member.

WRIGHTSMAN D. I-IIMES.

Witnesses:

OLIVER B. CooK, MARY A. SHEPHERD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

